The knockout stage of any football tournament is always liable to increase both excitement and anticipation as the winner-take-all nature of the ties means there can be no second chances. Some teams may still insist on caginess over ambition, but eventually even they must conjure up a way of winning. The World Cup is no different. The last-16 provides an opportunity for the contenders to go through the gears and also gives an oppo...More

Day 19 of the World Cup saw the goals begin to dry up with just one effort from the two last 16 encounters. The first penalty shoot-out of the tournament did take place however, with Paraguay coming out on top against a spirited Japan side. The game of the day saw Spain narrowly edge out Portugal thanks to David Villa, who moves to the top of the goal scoring charts, taking his tally to four goals. PARAGUAY 0 JAPAN 0 Paraguay win...More

Spain edged a tight contest against Iberian neighbours Portugal in Cape Town thanks to a second half goal from David Villa. The Portuguese had Ricardo Costa sent off a minute from the end for elbowing Joan Capdevila. Spain were fast out of the blocks and enjoyed early success cutting in from the left. First Torres curled from the corner of the area in the first minute and Eduardo had to tip it away. Villa replicated the Torres effort t...More

The last 16 comes to a close at the World Cup. Firstly, a Paraguay and Japan clash in a battle of the underdogs. And then Spain and Portugal meet in the match with plenty encouragement for goals, on paper at least. PARAGUAY vs. JAPAN3.00pm –Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria One of these outsiders has the chance to put the cat amongst the pigeons at the World Cup, with an unexpected quarterfinal spot in store for the winner between...More

The group which promised so much actually delivered very little in terms of drama and excitement. Five time winners Brazil eased through with two wins and a draw, Portugal pipped Ivory Coast to second spot while the Korean DPR as expected failed to get a point on the board. The deciding factor in the group came in the second round of matches, Portugal taking on North Korea in a re run of the classic 1966 quarter final which Portugal won...More

Amidst the media hype leading up to the match against Brazil, Carlos Queiroz identified: “That's what the World Cup is all about: the players and the beautiful game. We'll endeavour to try to play. Football must be king at the end of the World Cup.” And whilst his utopian ideal may yet be fulfilled before the tournament is out, it was certainly far from being achieved on Friday. From the moment that the teamsheet was handed in, it was ...More